Not Everybody is on board All Aboard Florida

Apparently, not everyone is on board All Aboard Florida. Indeed, the proposed passenger rail service connecting Miami to Orlando is beginning to attract stiff resistance.

The new rail project will run 32 trains daily along the Florida East Coast Railway with initial stops planned for Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. But the Marine Industries Association of South Florida expressed concerns about the train’s drawbridge, which could impede the flow of boat traffic in the New River.

According to the group, the drawbridge should be up and open to boat traffic at least 40 minutes out of each hour.

At present, the 14 daily freight trains that currently run along the tracks require 12 to 20 minute closures. But according to All Aboard Florida’s initial plans, the bridge might be down for as long as 24 to 28 minutes each hour for the passing trains, The Sun-Sentinel reported.

The plan has drawn opposition from other quarters as well. In Fort Lauderdale, a group called “Save the New River” collected 1,000 petition signatures opposing the plan. Other residents in towns where the railroad will pass through — but not stop — have also begun to express concerns about the noise from the train. Another group, “Florida No All Aboard,” has gathered some 18,000 signatures opposing the plan.